


raindrops

by thirteenpaperstars



Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Dreams and Nightmares, F/M, Fluff, Rain, Rayllum, Slow Burn, adorkable children, hand holding, i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 16:26:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,102
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18720748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thirteenpaperstars/pseuds/thirteenpaperstars
Summary: The first time they hold hands, it’s as friends, nothing more.The second time they hold hands, it’s midnight. Or past midnight. Neither of them is quite sure.The third time they hold hands, it’s very nearly a goodbye.





	raindrops

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly I kinda love the concept of them holding hands and I get so soft whenever I think about how her fingers fit perfectly in his. If we got Rayllum hand holding in season three I think I would die. Actually.
> 
> Well, please enjoy! Thank you so much for reading~ I love hearing from you guys and it keeps me excited to write more. <3

_The first time they hold hands, it’s as friends, nothing more._

 

They’d been in Xadia for a little under a week, and had reached the town of Itheria. The village was in Moonshadow territory, so Rayla felt comfortable enough to stop for a couple hours, just enough time to replenish their supplies before heading off to the next destination. They stood before the entrance, Zym carefully sequestered away in Rayla’s pack.

“Just keep your head down, and we’ll be fine,” she told Callum. “Stay close to me.”

He nodded through his cloak, resisting the urge to stop and marvel at the sights. There was so much to see, and everything about the town captured his attention. From the myriad of goods being sold in the marketplace, to the exotic groups of elves congregating in the streets, part of him just wanted to stop in the middle of the street and soak it all in. He struggled to keep up with Rayla’s pace- she was quite obviously on edge, but seemed to know where she was going.

“Slow down, Rayla. It’s going to be _fine_ ,” he assured her, jogging to keep up.

“I _know_ , it’s just…”

Her gaze drifted downwards, settling on his hands. His very _five-fingered,_ very _human_ hands. She swore under her breath.

“What?” he asked, looking stricken. Rayla glanced around, scanning the passerby.

“Give me your hand.”

“ _What?_ ” he repeated, looking down as realization dawned.

“Ah- right,” he said, reaching out and intertwining his fingers with hers. While they continued down the pathways, she couldn’t help but notice how her palms were rough from years of training and handling swords, while his were smooth and stained with charcoal. He squeezed her fingers.

“ _Hand disguise_ ,” he whispered into her ear, mimicking her accent. She laughed, finally releasing threads of tension she’d been holding ever since they arrived. Sure, he was stupid. And a human. And their hand-holding hadn’t changed anything between them. But that didn’t stop the butterflies from taking off.

 

~~~~

_The second time they hold hands, it’s midnight. Or past midnight. Neither of them is quite sure._

 

Rayla’s eyelids flew open with a gasp, but the remnants of her nightmare remained. She lay awake on moss-blanketed ground, breathing heavily and sorting through what was reality and what was her mind’s creation. She was fighting for her life in Xadia- and the close calls she’d experienced were now even affecting her sleep. Beside her, Callum stirred.

“You okay?” he mumbled.

“Yeah, just…”

“Nightmares?”

“Uh huh. Sorry to wake you.”

She heaved a sigh. Callum shifted his position to face her.

“It’s not real,” he said, reaching through the space between them to take her hand gently. He traced circles on the back of her palm soothingly.

“Thank you,” she said. Warmth rose into her features at his touch, and he gave a soft smile.

“You should get some more rest.”

He kept holding her hand after her eyes closed, after he heard the steady tempo of her breathing return.

Rayla fell into a peaceful sleep, blissfully dreamless until she opened her eyes the next morning.

Callum stayed awake the whole night.

~~~~

_The third time they hold hands, it’s very nearly a goodbye._

 

They’d stayed with the elves for one week after they left Zym, living in a small Moonshadow village just off the border. The townspeople had been hospitable enough, providing them with everything the pair required, but Callum still couldn’t shake that out-of-place feeling, and the pull of the fact that he needed to get back home. Soon.

Now, as he stood outside the cluster of buildings, He was torn- focused on his obligations to Katolis and Ezran, but not quite ready to say goodbye. _Ez is going to need you,_ Callum told himself. _You need to get back._

“I’m going to miss you.”

Callum turned, and took in the sight of Rayla, trying not to think about how likely it was that it that this was one of the last times he’d ever see her.

“I’ll miss you too.”

He took both of her hands in his and stood to face her.

“You’ll come visit me, right?” he asked. Rayla rolled her eyes.

“Of course, you idiot,” she smiled.

“Good,” he replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her pointed ears. “I’ll be counting down the days.”

Rayla’s thoughts stewed. There was an obvious solution, of course. She watched as he turned to lift his satchel from the ground, deciding that maybe she wasn’t ready for a goodbye either.

“Callum, wait.”

He paused, and Rayla seized her opportunity.

“Would you allow me the honor of escorting the prince back to his homeland?”

As soon as the question left her lips, his face broke into a wide grin.  
“I thought you’d never ask.”

~~~~

When they arrived, it was raining. The sky had deepened to a cloudy dark blue, punctuated with stars in the scattered clear patches. So far, Rayla’s presence had gone undetected, though Callum wondered if his brother had anything to do with it. They entered the grounds with relative ease, settling on a bench in the courtyard, shaded by a large oak tree. The pair was biding their time before they had to face the challenges ahead, and they both knew it.

“I’m happy you came to Katolis,” Callum admitted to her, “Ez is going to be pretty surprised.”

“Thank you,” she said, resting her hand on his. “I can’t say I know what’s next for me, but…”

“But you’ll have me,” Callum finished.

There was palpable silence hanging in the air, like an unfinished question. Raindrops splashed to the ground in a rhythm that reminded Rayla so much of a heartbeat, it was a few seconds before she realized it was her own heart that she was sensing. There were several more beats of awkward tension before Callum broke it.

“Um, sorry, was that…”

Color was crawling up her face, and this time she couldn’t hide it. She shook her head, and, without warning, pitched forward and pressed a kiss to his lips.

When she broke contact, there was silence once again. _Say something,_ her mind pleaded with her. _ANYTHING._

“I hate the rain,” she said, just below a whisper.

Internally, her mind was screaming, but she laughed it off as if a million things hadn’t changed between them in one small moment. Callum, momentarily rendered speechless, shook his head and laughed with her.

“C’mon,” he said, “Let’s go inside.”

As the two headed into the castle together, Rayla laced their fingers together.

 _Four,_ Callum tallied in his head. He grinned inwardly. _And one first kiss too._

**Author's Note:**

> Bonus:  
> Watching the scene play out from a second story window, the young king of Katolis throws up his arms in the air.  
> “FINALLY!” he yells, before realizing that he’s probably just woken everyone in the castle and half of his country. Sprinting down the stairs, his footsteps echo through the dark halls. He meets his brother at the courtyard gate, struggling to catch his breath.  
> “You two,” he gasps out, “Are the world’s...biggest idiots.”
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! :)


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